The present invention relates to a gear shift device for an automotive vehicle, and more particularly to a column type gear shift device incorporated in a column steering system.
Many known gear shift devices are structured having a selector lever or gear shift lever and a gear shift control rod that are associated with a steering unit. Such a gear shift device is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 58-75,175 entitled "Tilt Handle Setup" issued May 20, 1983. This gear shift device includes a gear shift control rod supported by a steering column housing by means of a bracket.
Meanwhile, it is usual to provide interlock or anti-theft lock means cooperated with the gear shift lever for disabling a gear shift control rod from operating by way of switching off an engine when preparing to park a vehicle. In the gear shift device equipped with such an interlock or anti-theft lock means, if the gear shift lever is operated with a too heavy operating force while the gear shift control rod is locked or disabled from operating, it is likely to lead to breakage or damage of the interlock or anti-theft lock means. This is because such gear shift devices are designed to utilize the advantageous characteristic of the lever to operate the gear shift control rod with sufficient amplified force and the interlock means reacts directly to the action of the gear shift lever.